In a briefing on Tuesday, White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs distanced the Obama administration from a recent Justice Department brief on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law that bars openly gay men and women from serving in the military.

Gay rights groups were upset that the Justice Department cited a 1993 statement from Gen. Colin Powell in support of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a position he has since reversed, in a federal court brief last week. Among other points, DOJ argued that the presence of gays in the military increases sexual tension and invades the privacy of service members.

Gibbs pointed out that the Justice Department was required to defend existing laws, even if the president wants to change them.

“I will say, was it odd that they included previous statements from General Colin Powell on a belief set that he no longer had?  I don’t think the President would disagree with that,” said Gibbs.

From the transcript:

Q    So obviously there’s a number of cases sort of wending their way through the courts right now challenging DOMA [Defense of Marriage Act] and “don’t ask, don’t tell.�  Last week the Department of Justice filed another brief defending “don’t ask, don’t tell.�  It angered a lot of advocates; some legal scholars thought it was a step backwards in terms of dismantling the law.  Is the President at all concerned that DOJ is a little insular or tone deaf on issues that are sort of politically sticky, especially those of interest to the L/G community?

MR. GIBBS:  I will say this, obviously the President has enunciated his support for ending “don’t ask, don’t tell,â€� rolling back — made a commitment to roll back DOMA in the campaign.  Obviously, the Justice Department has — is charged with upholding the law as it exists, not as the President would like to see it.  We have obviously taken steps on the front of “don’t ask, don’t tell,â€� and I think we’ve made a genuine amount of progress.  I will say, was it odd that they included previous statements from General Colin Powell on a belief set that he no longer had?  I don’t think the President would disagree with that.

Following closely in the footsteps of White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, Justice Department spokesman Matthew A. Miller has joined the micro-blogging site Twitter.

With a mix of personal and political posts, Miller recently used his new account to push back at former Bush White House Press Secretary Dana Perino for leaving out a key fact in a recent opinion piece critical of DOJ’s terror policies.

“@DanaPerino You know the 20% recidivism rate were all detainees rlsd by admin for which u were the spox, right? Notice u left that out,” wrote Miller about Perino’s National Review Online post criticizing the Justice Department and National Security Adviser John A. Brennan for saying a 20 percent recidivism rate “isn’t that bad.â€�

In an interview with Main Justice, Miller said he joined Twitter months ago after the Justice Department created an account. He began mostly as an observer but only recently began writing on the personal account a few weeks back. Miller said his Twittering habit was not a result of Gibbs’ presence.

Perino’s opinion piece was “wrong enough to deserve a correction,” Miller told Main Justice.

Many posts on Miller’s account have to do with his beloved Texas Long Horns, but he has occasionally dived into the political arena, highlighting stories about the Justice Department by The Associated Press and The New York Times.

Among others, Miller is following former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, The New York Times’ Charlie Savage, rapper Eminem, The Onion satirical newspaper, political strategist Karl Rove, NBC’s Chuck Todd, Salon’s Glenn Greenwald, Mike Allen of Politico, and of course, @TheJusticeDept.

He even corresponded with Salon’s Greenwald, writing about the controversy over civilian trials for terrorism suspects that it would be “Longer answer than [140] characters will allow, @ggreenwald, but we use every tool available to keep the American people safe.”

Miller has developed what he called somewhat of an obsession with Twitter, calling it a useful tool for “paying attention to what is going on in the world.” Often, he said, he finds out about breaking news via Twitter before he receives a breaking news e-mail.

“I doubt I’ll be a frequent – what do they call it – Twitterer? Tweeter? – but I’ll Tweet from time to time,” said Miller.

Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-Mo.) today became the second Senate Republican and third prominent conservative to suggest that Attorney General Eric Holder should resign over his decisions on terrorism cases.

Kit Bond (gov)

Bond, the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has joined Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin in calling for Holder’s resignation.

Conservatives have been critical of the administration’s decision to charge the alleged Christmas Day attempted airline bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, in federal court as a criminal rather than put him in military custody for interrogation.

Bond said yesterday that John Brennan, President Obama’s chief homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, “needs to go” because of his role in the events surrounding the decision on how to handle alleged bomber.

And today, Bond told The Wall Street Journal’s Washington Wire blog, “I think Eric Holder has been totally wrong, and he should go too. It’s a question of trust,” adding: “They [Holder and Brennan] both came up short.â€�

Bond also took a dig at Holder for the Attorney General’s decision to try five alleged 9/11 plotters in a New York City federal court. The terrorism suspects will now likely be tried elsewhere after immense criticism from local politicians and members of Congress.

“Eric Holder said the 9/11 trial in New York will be the defining moment of his tenure,” Bond told the Washington Wire. “I hope it is.”

The White House has supported its national security leaders, according to the blog. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs earlier this week called on Bond to apologize for his barbs, the Washington Wire said.

Richard Shelby (Getty Images)

Republican Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama has withdrawn most of his “holds” on presidential nominees, including President Obama’s picks for key Justice Department posts.

Shelby’s office announced late last night that the senator would drop his “blanket hold” on more than 70 nominees pending on the Senate Executive Calendar. A hold is when a senator — often anonymously — lets it be known he would oppose a unanimous consent request to bring a particular bill or nomination to the Senate floor. Without unanimous consent, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) would have to make a debatable motion to bring the matter to the floor, thus raising the possibility of a filibuster. Senate leaders usually do not even begin that process, recognizing it would be very time-consuming.

The DOJ nominees who were caught up in Shelby’s hold were:

• Mary L. Smith, to be Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division. She was reported out of committee last Thursday.

• Christopher Schroeder, to be Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy. He also was reported out of committee on Thursday.

• John Laub, to be director of the National Institute of Justice. He was reported out of committee on Dec. 3.

• Susan Carbon, to be director of the Office on Violence Against Women. She was reported out of committee on Dec. 3.

• Richard Hartunian, to be U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York. He was reported out of committee on Jan. 28.

• Andre Birotte Jr., to be U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. He was reported out of committee on Jan. 28.

• Ron Machen, to be U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. He was reported out of committee on Jan. 28.

The Alabama senator had held up the more than 70 nominees since Thursday over concerns he has about a tanker contract that could bring 1,500 jobs to Mobile, Ala., and over funds he is requesting to build an FBI counterterrorism center in his state. Northrop Grumman is vying to win the tanker contract, and if successful, would assemble the planes in Mobile.

A spokesman for Shelby said the Republican had “accomplished” his goal by employing the “blanket hold,” according to Politico.

“The purpose of placing numerous holds was to get the White House’s attention on two issues that are critical to our national security – the Air Force’s aerial refueling tanker acquisition and the FBI’s Terrorist Device Analytical Center (TEDAC). With that accomplished, Sen. Shelby has decided to release his holds on all but a few nominees directly related to the Air Force tanker acquisition until the new Request for Proposal is issued,”  Shelby aide Jonathan Graffeo said in a statement, according to Politico.

Shelby still has holds on the nominations of Terry Yonkers, assistant secretary of the Air Force; Frank Kendall, principal deputy undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics; and Erin Conaton, undersecretary of the Air Force, Politico said.

Democrats and White House press secretary Robert Gibbs had sharply criticized Shelby for the rare move to hold up all of Obama’s nominees who were waiting for votes in the full Senate. Last week, Gibbs said there likely wouldn’t be a “greater example of silliness throughout the entire year of 2010.â€�

Richard Shelby (Getty Images)

Seven Justice Department nominees that have been reported out the Senate Judiciary Committee might not receive votes on the Senate floor anytime soon thanks to Republican Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama.

Last night Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said that Shelby had placed a “blanket hold” on all nominations pending on the Senate Executive Calendar, including two Assistant Attorneys General nominees, two would-be directors of DOJ offices and three prospective U.S. Attorneys.

Those nominees are:

• Mary L. Smith, Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division. She was reported out of committee yesterday.

• Christopher Schroeder, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy. He also was reported out of committee yesterday.

• John Laub, Director of the National Institute of Justice. He was reported out of committee on Dec. 3.

• Susan Carbon, Director of the Office on Violence Against Women. She was reported out of committee on Dec. 3.

• Richard Hartunian, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York. He was reported out of committee on Jan. 28.

• Andre Birotte Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. He was reported out of committee on Jan. 28.

• Ron Machen, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. He was reported out of committee on Jan. 28.

But the Republican’s beef isn’t with the nominees.

The Alabama senator is holding up the nominees over concerns he has about a tanker contract that could bring 1,500 jobs to Mobile, Ala., and over funds he is requesting to build an FBI counterterrorism center in his state, according to The Caucus blog on The New York Times Web site. Northrop Grumman is vying to win the tanker contract, and if successful, would assemble the plans in Mobile.

“Senator Shelby has placed holds on several pending nominees due to unaddressed national security concerns,� Shelby spokesperson Jonathan Graffeo said in a statement, according to The Caucus. “Among his concerns is that nearly 10 years after the U.S. Air Force announced plans to replace the aging tanker fleet, we still do not have a transparent and fair acquisition process to move forward. The Department of Defense must recognize that the draft Request for Proposal needs to be significantly and substantively changed.�

He added: “Senator Shelby is also deeply concerned that the administration will not release the funds already appropriated to the FBI to build the Terrorist Explosives Devices Analytical Center. This decision impedes the U.S. military, the intelligence community, and federal law enforcement personnel in their missions to exploit and analyze intelligence information critical to fighting terrorism and ensuring American security worldwide.”

Shelby would be willing to speak with the Obama administration about his concerns at any time, according to the spokesman.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs condemned Shelby for the rare decision to hold up all of Obama’s nominees who are waiting for votes in the full Senate.

“I guess if you needed one example of what’s wrong with this town, it might be that one senator can hold up 70 qualified individuals to make government work better because he didn’t get his earmarks,� Gibbs told reporters today, according to the blog. “If that’s not the poster child for how this town needs to change the way it works, I fear there won’t be a greater example of silliness throughout the entire year of 2010.�

The Democratic National Committee also posted a video on YouTube yesterday that alleges Shelby’s holds are threatening national security.

The senator’s holds don’t make it impossible for the Senate to consider nominees. Under normal circumstances, Senate leaders honor an individual senator’s hold. But if Majority Leader Reid wants to bring a nomination to the Senate floor, he could file a cloture petition. Cutting off debate on a nomination is a time-consuming process for the Senate and would be difficult for the Democratic majority with the addition of Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) to the Senate. Brown became the 41st member of the Republican Senate caucus yesterday, ending the Democrats’ filibuster-proof majority.

Reid said on the Senate floor yesterday that the president might have to start considering recess appointments, which wouldn’t require confirmation.

“The president will look at all his options,” Gibbs said, according to The Caucus.

Officials from the Central Intelligence Agency participated in a government-wide discussion on Christmas Day about how to handle a Nigerian national who allegedly attempted to blow up a Detroit-bound passenger airliner, the Los Angeles Times reported today, citing unnamed sources.

The decision to advise Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab of his Miranda rights rather than put him in military custody for interrogation was made after “hastily called teleconferences” between representatives of the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, State Department and CIA, the newspaper said. By that time, the suspect had stopped talking with law enforcement, the Times said.

The Times story appeared as the Justice Department found itself increasingly on the defensive over the matter.

Republicans say Abdulmutallab should have been taken into military custody for questioning by intelligence officials. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair, a Barack Obama appointee, has also criticized the decision to charge Abdulmutallab criminally. The issue has become politically sensitive for Holder, with  GOP senators demanding he come to Capitol Hill to explain his role. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, the GOP’s No. 3 leader in the Senate, even suggested Sunday that Holder consider resigning over the incident.

The Times story appeared to push back against the criticism by suggesting the CIA had been at the table all along.

It still isn’t clear who precisely authorized treating the accused al-Qaeda operative as a criminal suspect with rights against self-incrimination. No one in the government has come forward publicly yet to explain how the decision was made, though White House spokesman Robert Gibbs on Jan. 21 said he believed that decision ultimately lay with Attorney General Eric Holder.

Citing unnamed sources, the LA Times said after Northwest Airlines Flight 253 landed in Detroit on Christmas Day, Abdulmutallab was taken to a hospital for treatment for burns allegedly sustained after he tried to ignite explosives in his underwear.

He was question by two experienced counter-terrorism agents who have “been around a long time and have traveled internationally,” an anonymous source told the newspaper.

The questioning lasted just shy of an hour. The agents did not immediately tell him he had the right to remain silent or let his words be used against him at trial, citing an exemption that allows law enforcement officials to pose questions if they believe another crime is about to be committed. The suspect gave information that suggested other terrorism plots were in the works, the newspaper said.

But then, doctors said they needed to sedate Abdulmutallab to treat his injuries. By the time Abdulmutallab was available again for questioning, he had clammed up. The decision was made to read him his Miranda rights. The Obama administration’s policy is to try terrorism suspects arrested on U.S. soil in federal courts rather than in military commissions.

Department of Justice spokesman Matthew Miller last week released a list of other successful terrorism prosecutions, including that of Zacarias Moussaoui, a French citizen and al-Qaeda operative who was arrested after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and convicted in the Eastern District of Virginia.

The chairman and ranking Republican the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee asked Attorney General Eric Holder today to remove the alleged Christmas Day airplane bomber from federal custody and treat him as a military prisoner.

Joe Lieberman (Gov)

Susan Collins (Gov)

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who allegedly tried to ignite explosives in his underpants on a Dec. 25 Detroit-bound flight, is being held by federal authorities as a civilian. Panel Chairman Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), the committee’s ranking member Susan Collins (R-Maine) and other conservative senators say the opportunity to gain valuable intelligence now may be lost, since Abdulmutallab is being treated as a criminal suspect with rights against self-incrimination.

“Though the president has said repeatedly that we are at war, it does not appear to us that the president’s words are reflected in the actions of some in the Executive Branch, including some at the Department of Justice, responsible for fighting that war,” Lieberman and Collins said in a joint letter to Holder and John Brennan, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism. “The unilateral decision by the Department of Justice to treat Abdulmutallab — a belligerent fighting for and trained by an al-Qaeda franchised organization — as a criminal rather than a [unprivileged enemy belligerent] and to forgo information that may have been extremely helpful to winning this war demonstrates that very point.”

Here is the full letter.

Last week, Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) demanded to know who decided to let FBI agents read Abdulmutallab his Miranda rights and treat him as a civilian. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters on Thursday he believes Holder was responsible for the decision.

DOJ spokesman Matthew Miller defended the Obama administration’s handling of Abdulmutallab. “Those who now argue that a different action should have been taken in this case were notably silent when dozens of terrorist were successfully prosecuted in federal court by the previous administration,â€� Miller said in the statement, citing the prosecutions of al-Qaeda operatives Richard Reid and Zacarias Moussaoui. Read Miller’s full statement here.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters on Thursday he believes Attorney General Eric Holder was responsible for deciding to try the alleged Christmas Day airplane bomber in federal court and not treat him as an military prisoner subject to interrogation.

Robert Gibbs (White House)

The administration’s Director of National Intelligence, Dennis C. Blair, and a number of administration critics have said that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab should have been questioned by trained anti-terrorism investigators rather than by the FBI. The critics say the opportunity to gain valuable intelligence now may be lost, since Abdulmutallab is being treated as a criminal suspect with rights against self-incrimination.

Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s top Republican, sent a letter today to the Attorney General, asking who made the decision. After Sessions sent his letter and Gibbs made his comment, Holder’s spokesman, Matthew Miller, issued a statement defending the decision to try Abdulmutallab.

“Those who now argue that a different action should have been taken in this case were notably silent when dozens of terrorist were successfully prosecuted in federal court by the previous administration,” Miller said in the statement, citing the prosecutions of al-Qaeda operatives Richard Reid and Zacarias Moussaoui. Read Miller’s full statement here.

Democrats are reeling from the surprise victory on Tuesday of Republican Scott Brown in a special election for the Massachusetts Senate seat left open by the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy (D). The GOP victory has thrown President Barack Obama’s health care reform plans in disarray and caused many Democrats to question whether the party has moved too far to the political left.

Holder has been under attack by Republicans for other national security decisions as well, including trying alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in federal court in Manhattan, reopening an investigation into whether certain CIA interrogations of suspected terrorists broke the law, and successfully arguing for the release of Bush-era Department of Justice legal memos that authorized torture.

Here’s the transcript from today’s White House press briefing:

Q    … who made the decision to try Abdulmutallab in federal court?  Was the president aware of this decision when he began being processed in the legal system?

MR. GIBBS:  Well, again, understand that the decision to try him was handed down in an indictment that I think took place many days afterward.  So, yes, all the team was involved in that.

Q    So the decision was made over a period of days.  I mean, there was a time between which he was taken into custody on Christmas Day and a time in which the decision was made that –

MR. GIBBS:  Well, understand this, there was a period of time in which he was taken into custody, a period of time in which experienced FBI agents interrogated him, received valuable intelligence from him.  He was arraigned at a later period of time, and later than that was indicted.

Q    And who made the decision to try him in federal court?  Did the president make that call?

MR. GIBBS:  I believe that decision is made by the Attorney General.

This story was updated at 8:17 p.m.

Dawn Johnsen during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in February 2009 (Getty Images)

Former Office of Legal Counsel nominee Dawn Johnsen is on course for re-nomination, an administration official told Main Justice today.

Johnsen has been in a state of limbo since the Senate returned her nomination to the White House on Christmas Eve, after she spent months waiting for a vote on the Senate floor. The White House sent her nomination to the Senate on Feb. 11, 2009 and the Senate Judiciary Committee approved her nomination on a party line vote on March 19, 2009.

Several Senate Republicans, joined by Democratic Sens. Arlen Specter (Pa.) and Ben Nelson (Neb.), have voiced concerns about Johnsen’s vocal opposition to the Bush administration’s national security policies and her past work for an abortion rights group.

President Barack Obama must tap Johnsen again if he wants the Senate to confirm her. The White House has remained mum on whether she will be re-nominated.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters today during a briefing that he has “not gotten an answer” on Johnsen and is looking into it. The administration official told Main Justice that Johnsen matter hasn’t come to the president’s desk yet.

Gibbs said the White House is unhappy with the pace of confirmation for some of the nominees.

“We’ve put a number of people into government in the first year,” Gibbs said in response to a question by the Huffington Post. “But at the same time, we have seen a pacing in dealing with nominations both for the executive branch and for judicial nominations that I think by almost any estimation would be deemed slow.”

William Treanor, who worked with Johnsen in the Office of Legal Counsel during the Bill Clinton administration, said Johnsen remains “enthusiastic” about her prospects for confirmation. We previously reported that she will continue to teach law at Indiana University during the spring 2010 semester. Johnsen declined to comment to Main Justice.

Johnsen has support from liberal advocacy groups, including the National Organization for Women, Alliance for Justice and People for the American Way.

People for the American Way recently wrote about the returned OLC nominee on its blog and has endorsed two letters in support of Johnsen.

Marge Baker, an executive vice president at People for the American Way, said her organization do “whatever needs to be done” to get Johnsen confirmed.

“We’ll continue working all of the angles,” Baker told Main Justice.

OLC has not had a Senate-confirmed head since George W. Bush appointee, Jack Goldsmith, resigned in June 2004.

Bush nominated Steven Bradbury to the post five times, but he was returned to the White House each time. Bradbury served as acting OLC chief from June 2005 to April 2007, and continued to lead the office as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General until the start of the Obama administration.

David Barron has been the acting head of OLC since January 20. In 2004, Johnsen, Barron, Treanor and other former OLC officials signed the “Principles To Guide the Office of Legal Counsel,” which offered suggestions on how the office could move forward after it was revealed that the office authorized harsh interrogation methods used against terrorism suspects during the Bush administration.

Joe Palazzolo contributed to this report.

The Missoulian newspaper today disclosed that Sen. Max Baucus’s future girlfriend, Melodee Hanes, was involved in discussions with the senator’s divorce lawyer in 2007 while serving on the Montana Democrat’s Senate staff. The Montana newspaper quoted from billing records submitted by Baucus’s lawyer, Ronald F. Waterman, in Helena.

Melodee Hanes (photo by Ryan J. Reilly / Main Justice)

Main Justice obtained a copy of the billing records. Click here to see them.

The records show that Hanes – whom Baucus later recommended to the White House as a finalist for Montana’s U.S. Attorney – consulted with the divorce lawyer on such delicate matters as how to determine the value of the home Baucus shared with his then-wife, Wanda, in Washington’s exclusive Georgetown section.

Baucus and Hanes, who now live together in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, were not yet in a relationship in the summer of 2007, Baucus spokesperson Ty Matsdorf told the Missoulian. That relationship began about a year later, in the summer of 2008, the senator’s office has said.

“Melodee Hanes’ interactions were in her official role as state director and focused on scheduling and logistics, including how a potential separation between Sen. Baucus and (his ex-wife) Wanda could impact the senator’s travel and work,” Matsdorf said in a statement to the Montana newspaper.

Although no Senate ethics rules appeared to have been violated by then-staffer Hanes working on her boss’s divorce agreement, the billing records add a new layer of questions to the story.

For instance, there’s a reference in the billing records, not mentioned by the Missoulian, to unnamed “advisors� on an e-mail from the lawyer about the draft separation agreement that Hanes had discussed.

Was one of those advisers Baucus’s then-chief of chief, Jim Messina?

Baucus once told The Washington Post that Messina is “like a son to me.â€� The senator and his former aide — who is now a White House deputy chief of staff — reportedly remain close friends.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday that nobody at the White House, including Messina, knew of the relationship. The White House vets all U.S. Attorney recommendations.

As the relationship intensified in early 2009, Hanes and Baucus mutually concluded that she should withdraw her name from consideration for U.S. Attorney to avoid an appearance of impropriety, the senator’s office has said.

There has been some skepticism among Washington wags that Messina really didn’t know of the relationship. According to The Post profile of Messina, Baucus said his then-chief of staff was “very touched” by a rehearsal-dinner speech Baucus had delivered before his son Zeno Baucus’s wedding in the summer of 2008. The senator said Messina’s departure to the White House meant he was losing two sons, The Post reported.

It was at Zeno’s wedding reception that a person familiar with the Max Baucus family told Main Justice that the senator and Hanes were dancing in a manner that suggested a relationship beyond the professional.

It was also reported today in Politico that the Montana senator gave Hanes a $14,000 raise in 2008, making her one of the Baucus’s highest paid staffers.

Baucus’s office said most Baucus staff members received a raise at that time.

“In fact, during that period, Ms. Hanes’s salary increased by the exact same amount as our legislative director and less than our chief of staff,� said a statement from a Baucus spokesman to Politico.

Hanes also accompanied the Montana senator on a taxpayer-funded trip to Southeast Asia and the Middle East later that year, according to Politico. Hanes does not have a background in foreign policy.

The trip to Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates cost more than $14,000 per person, according to Politico. It was the only overseas trip Hanes took with Baucus in an official capacity, Politico said.

The Baucus office told Politico that there was nothing inappropriate about Hanes accompanying Baucus on the trip, adding that former state directors had also gone on overseas trips.

Hanes declined to comment to Main Justice about the role she played in the senator’s divorce proceedings following a ceremony at the Justice Department today.

Ryan J. Reilly contributed to this report.